UK-based Hydrasun to Build Scotland's First Electrolyser Assembly Base in Aberdeen

en.Wedoany.com Reported - UK-based Hydrasun has signed a framework agreement with Norway's Nel to build Scotland's first manufacturing base in Aberdeen dedicated to electrolyser assembly and system integration. Hydrasun will invest in building a new production line for assembling Nel's MC Series proton exchange membrane (PEM) electrolyser platform, and will be responsible for the procurement, assembly and integration of the balance of plant. The project has received approximately £1.9697 million in support from the Scottish Government's Just Transition Fund, with an implementation period covering 2026 to 2029.

The new base will build assembly capacity around Nel's MC Series modular PEM electrolyser. The platform currently offers two standard modules of 1.25MW and 2.5MW, which can be combined and scaled up to larger systems. The core PEM electrolyser stacks will still be manufactured at Nel's facility in Wallingford, Connecticut, USA, and after arriving in the UK, Hydrasun will complete the full electrolyser assembly and auxiliary system integration in Aberdeen.

The division of responsibilities between the two parties is relatively clear: Nel is responsible for the core PEM electrolyser technology and stack manufacturing, while Hydrasun undertakes localized assembly in Europe, balance of plant procurement and final system integration. For Hydrasun, this means its business extends from traditional hydrogen system integration further into the electrolyser manufacturing segment; for Nel, it adds a local European integration partner to expand the delivery capacity of the MC Series in the European market.

The Scottish Government is providing £1,969,688 in funding to the Hydrasun project, explicitly for establishing electrolyser manufacturing capacity. The project is one of 22 funded projects in the North East and Moray region under the 2026 Just Transition Fund, which has a total budget of £17.5 million and is expected to create or support more than 500 jobs overall and leverage approximately £10 million in private investment.

Hydrasun expects that once the new base is operational, it will add up to 12 jobs and retain another 11 existing positions. The project will also generate new local procurement demand, including electrical, mechanical, piping, control and other electrolyser balance of plant components, providing new manufacturing orders for the Scottish and UK hydrogen equipment supply chain.

The project has now entered the stage of agreement signing and production line construction preparation. The next step is to complete the production line construction, equipment configuration and system integration capability introduction at the Aberdeen manufacturing facility. Officials have not yet disclosed the base's annual assembly capacity, plant area, number of initial commercial orders or the official start-of-production date. According to the Scottish Government's funding arrangements, the related construction and capability development will be advanced during the period from 2026 to 2029.